Nagisarella
by frances janvier
Summary: A strange Cinderella!AU, with Prince Karma and Nagisarella.


**... I'm not really sure what happened here. It started out as crack, but then went to angsty and then to just not making sense? Here it is, anyway :p**

 **Challenges by the Dozen:** level six [write six fics, each in a different genre] #6

 **Claw Machine:** Cinderella!AU

* * *

"Nagisarella, you must sweep the floor now," Takaoka said with an evil cackle. Nagisarella had already swept the floor and cleaned the dishes and folded the laundry three times over now, but he didn't want to argue with his step-father. He kneeled down on the floor and started sweeping again without a word, and only fantasized about proving himself to Takaoka.

His step-siblings were also in the kitchen with them. Terasaka and Yoshida were whispering to each other the latest gossip and giggling a lot.

There was a sudden ding of the doorbell. Some envelopes were slid through the mail slot in the door. "Nagisarella, you little girl, go get the mail!" Takaoka ordered.

Nagisarella quickly scampered off to the door and fetched the mail of the day. Jokes and insults of his gender were made too often. He was male, but couldn't speak up for himself.

As he walked back towards his step-father and step-siblings, he started scanning through the envelopes and seeing who had sent them letters. He stopped in his track when he got to a gold and sparkly envelope. His eyes widened, and he read it aloud. "Nagisarella Shiota. It's addressed to me. The return address is THE ROYAL AKABANE FAMILY!"

"GIVE THAT LETTER HERE RIGHT NOW, NAGISARELLA!" Takaoka yelled angrily. He snatched the envelope out of Nagisarella's hand easily. "It's an obvious fluke. It's supposed to be addressed to myself and your step-siblings. Nobody from the royal family would ever want to talk to you. You're just a little servant," he informed Nagisarella.

Terasaka and Yoshida crowded around Takaoka, effectively blocking Nagisarella's view of the letter. Luckily, since they were illiterate bastards who relied on Nagisarella to do everything, Takaoka was forced to read it out loud.

"Tomorrow, the royal Akabane family is hosting a fancy ball for our son, Prince Karma. We would love for as many as possible to attend," Takaoka read out, his eyes getting wider by the second.

"Nagisarella! Go fetch us our best tuxedos and sew them up correctly for tomorrow!"

"Step-father, uhmm… Could I possibly attend?" Nagisarella asked nervously, taking a risk.

Takaoka sneered at him. "No way, now get to work!"

* * *

It was the evening of the next day already. Nagisarella had fitted his step-father's and step-brothers' tuxedos and suits and was now in the process of doing Yoshida's hair.

"Hurry up, Nagisarella, we haven't got all day. The ball starts soon," he hissed loudly.

Quickly, he finished the last finishing details, before the three of them hurried out the door where a carriage was outside for them.

"Don't forget to sweep the floor!" was the last thing Takaoka yelled at him before the carriage rushed away.

Nagisarella was (quite literally) left behind in the dust. He stared after the carriage, longing to be there with them. Or even without them, really. He just wanted a chance to see the handsome Prince Karma and then enjoy himself at the ball.

He started humming cliche fairytale songs as he swept the floors.

All of a sudden, there was a loud poof! sound. An octopus monster that happened to be covered in sparkles was now in the middle of the kitchen floor!

Nagisarella's jaw dropped. "Are you my Fairy Koro-Sensei?" he asked in wonder and awe. Internally he was also thinking about how much of a mess this would make.

Fairy Koro-Sensei nodded, and a grin spread out onto his face. "You want to go to the ball tonight, right?"

"Well, um, yes, I do, but my step-father told me I couldn't go…"

"YOU MUST FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS, NAGISARELLA!" Fairy Koro-Sensei shouted out. "GO TO THE BALL!"

Before Nagisarella could put even one more word in, he was poofed into a sparkly ball gown and then transported into a stylish sports car that came out of who-knows-where.

"Err, Fairy Koro-Sensei, isn't there a tuxedo I could wear?" Nagisarella asked nervously as the car started to zoom away towards the palace.

But Fairy Koro-Sensei apparently couldn't hear him. "THE SPELL WEARS OFF AT MIDNIGHT! GOODBYE!"

* * *

They were at the royal palace in no time at all. The car door flew open though pulled by nobody, and Nagisarella nervously stepped out. He couldn't turn back, anyway, since the car zoomed away to somewhere. Hopefully a parking lot.

He opened the huge doors to the castle with a bit of difficulty but slipped inside. Nagisarella had hoped to enter unnoticed by everybody and just hang around the side of the ballroom, but alas, things did not work out that way.

All heads swiveled towards the pretty person in the ball gown who had just entered. Even his step-family was gazing in awe at the "lady." Nagisarella blushed scarlet and attempted to just slip into the middle of the crowd.

By some odd fluke of good luck (or bad luck, perhaps), Nagisarella crashed straight into the red-haired handsome Prince Karma.

Nagisarella could do nothing but gawk at his attractiveness and endlessly spew out apologies from his blubbering fountain-mouth.

The prince merely snorted a bit. "Oh, it's no use apologizing for just bumping into somebody," he said casually. "Dance with me?"

Nagisarella took in a breath sharply. "I… I… yes, if that's okay," he stuttered a bit. Karma was asking him for a dance!

Karma took Nagisarella's hands confidently and they slow-danced to the music. Nagisarella told himself that once Karma realized Nagisarella was a guy or once he noticed all the prettier ladies out there, he would abandon him and go off to dance with one of the many people eyeing them jealously.

But the prince stayed by his side the whole night and wouldn't even look at anybody else. Nagisarella's heart was fluttering happily.

Suddenly, the clock began to strike midnight, and Nagisarella remembered what Fairy Koro-Sensei had told him.

"I'm really sorry, but I have to go," Nagisarella whispered in Karma's ear before dashing out of the castle. If the prince saw who he truly was—a dirty servant boy—then the only happy moment in his life since years ago would be gone.

He didn't deserve the handsome prince, anyway. He was just Nagisarella.


End file.
